Soul

Since we're talking about the sale of things on this thread, I heard yesterday that Bud Light got naming rights to the bleachers. Expect Len to be uttering "the Bud Light bleachers" quite a bit this year. ....and, shockingly and hopefully falsely, I was driving into work and heard someone on the SCORE say they sold naming rights to Wrigley itself, too. Again---I was just listening and heard it cross my ears; I'm not saying it's true yet or anything.

I think the Cards & Stros will come back to the Pack a little, but the Brewers will be better (maybe even much better). I still think we're looking at 3rd or 4th place, though I wouldn't pick us to finish with fewer wins than last year.

Colangelo has always wanted to own a Chicago baseball franchise, I believe.

Pierre as a 1-year player is not something that just developed this spring. It was always a possibility, and I tried to tell everyone that was the case.

1) Definite improvements in the bullpen. 2) A full year of Dempster @ closer instead of messing around with Hawkins. 3) Giving some young guns a shot. 4) A team that will surely have a higher team OBP than last year, and better speed on the bases. Those are some positives I can think of. I don't think it balances out the negatives, but there are some positives.

I'm guessing the next 2-3 years would be peak years for Lee, with the final 2 of that contract taking place during his decline. I don't think 5 years is all that outrageous. Lee's defense will be a true asset long after his offensive numbers start to slip. When you factor in what market value will be 4 years from now (i.e., higher), I would probably do it. It's amazing how quickly Derek Lee has become the face of this ballclub.

I would not lay all of the blame on Hendry. Clearly, he has largely ignored the team's need for OBP guys, and has catered to Dusty's lousy veteran fetish. Hendry did a great job building the 2004 team, but did an equally lousy job with the 2005 squad, especially with the bullpen. There wasn't much to be had this offseason, so it is hard to blame him for a lack of additions to the 2006 team. But while injuries and such are beyond his control, clearly Hendry is not blameless. And I really hope you aren't including Baker when you say that recent failures are not the fault of the "leadership". Certainly, with Baker around and the injuries we have had, there's no way Hendry should get all the blame. Just his share. I do think something can and should be done about our offseason activities that would help limit the injuries. It certainly wouldn't cure everything, but a good offseason program with solid participation can help. I'm not willing to lay the blame of all injuries at Hendry's feet, of course. My main beef here is that in my opinion the team is not O.K., mistakes have been made, we are watching the potential for true greatness on our pitching staff slip by the boards (an incredible source of pain for any Cub fan), and yet listening to Hendry talk you would think everything is great.

WOW. This is just an amazing negative post. I understand that there is a certain truth to some of these statements, but I can't agree with the absolutes in that post. This is not the greatest pitching windfall in Cubs history, and he didn't "squander" anything. He did what a GM is supposed to and set up a team for sucess. Unfortunately, it didn't happen but saying that Hendry is a bungling GM is far from the truth. I think given our inability to field a consistant offense in the past 4 years despite one of the highest NL payrolls, have mightily bungled the 40 man roster on mutliple occassions that cost us blue-chip prospects, have produced, apparently, only one major league position player on our 25 man roster (unless Theriot makes it), and the fact that we have yet to capitalize on what should have been the best stretch of starting pitching we've had in back to back years or more in my lifetime is indeed grounds to say that Hendry may have bungled the job. It's not just negativity to say that where the Cubs are as an organization is a major disappointment compared to where it was headed 3-4 years ago. Yes, that pretty much sums it up. Why is that such an amazing negative post? I mean, I know it's negative......but why are you amazed by it, huber? I look at 2003, and then I look at now. It's a downward slide. We are a team in decline. It's not alot of fun to watch that happen to my favorite baseball team. I'm sorry to be a negative nancy, but this team needs to do something about the hole they've dug since 2003, and it's not happening. Hendry comes on the air and talks about how well everything is going. It's not. It's just not.

Did he get sent to AA or AAA? He's going to rake this year. I think it's sad he won't get a shot. A shot at what? Rotting on the bench? It's a blessing in disguise, career-wise. I know. I don't argue it. I just like him. I hope he does well in the future on a team we never play 8)

Cookie cutter response to Hendry whenever he shows his face: No, things are not O.K., Jim. You're heading for 4th place with bullet, you're bungling the greatest pitching windfall in Cubs history, you've squandered one of the greatest Cub teams ever assembled in 2004, and you've got precious little hope for the future.

Did he get sent to AA or AAA? He's going to rake this year. I think it's sad he won't get a shot.

Sing has had a great Spring. Nobody cares :cry:

Yep. Z was out of gas at that point and the wind had gone out of the Cubs' sails. Z knew he was done for that night and Dusty for some really stupid reason did not have Remlinger warmed up at that point. So, he took a rather smart route in plunking Edmonds and getting ejected, since Remmy got all the time he needed to warm up. Please tell me you're being sarcastic. You're telling me Zambrano doesn't fire up his teammates with his emotions? That he doesn't intimidate the opposition by snapping his glove, swearing like a madman, and throwing inside? Heck, that man running the basepaths might be the single most frightening thing anyone on the opposition will likely see on that day. Plus, Roger Clemens never exactly struck me as the cerebral type. The man threw at his own kid for cripe's sake. \:D/ I had a neighbor who was like that. He used to just dominate his little kid in 1-on-1. Kid would be crying, he was like "oh grow up you baby." I used to laugh like the devil. Clemens is just like that. But I'll tell you what he never did. He never got on a teammate while on the field for blowing a play and making it harder to get out of an inning. That's where it crosses the line.

He's just sick of the lies too. Good for him. It would have been easy to cave in to the latest media B.S. and declare Prior will be ready to go in April.

Actually his act got pretty old in STL. He was a complete jerk in the 04 playoffs. I think Bonds is going to sign with the Cards, break the HR record, then somehow it will be proven the whole steroids mess was an elaborate vendetta by Conte because Bonds wouldn't help him sell a new multi-vitamin

So he'll be injured even if he isn't? And are you suggesting that the Cubs and the media should just stop giving us updates? I would think that a lot of people have interest in Prior's first step in coming back from this shoulder strain. I would also classify going from not throwing to throwing as a change. I'm suggesting he's injured until he takes the field in a game that matters, yes. I'm also suggesting until he strings a few starts together without going down again, he's not fully back. I'm also suggesting we get off the hope train and deal in reality. A player is injured until he plays for real, in a game that counts. Not before. Being "cleared to pitch" means nothing. It's like being cleared to use crutches when you're in a cast. Whoop-de-do. Can you run the 100-yard dash yet? No? Talk to me when you're ready, son.

They probably stole it from me cause I say No doubt all the time. It's called compensation. When someone has to tell you how honest they are, you can bet they're dirty. And when someone keeps saying no doubt about it, you can bet they are full of doubts.

I find it absolutely astounding that Tavarez can be the worst citizen in baseball for his entire career, hurling biggoted epithets, punching guys, refusing to hustle, you name it.... ......yet when he was with St. Louis he was a model citizen. Everything was just great. Cards fans: you are, without a doubt, the luckiest team in baseball.

Juvenile shots aside, I'm saying the Bulls shouldn't trade away developing talent just to add NBA veterans. Paxson has been following that path to date, too. Not trying to take a juvenile shot. Just saying I think Pax is going to use his picks/young players to pick up an actual proven veteran this year, and you sound like you would want to continue the draft carousel (read: rebuilding). I would be against using another couple first rounders as actual picks and bringing them straight in. That would be counter-productive, this team is ready to take the next step and it won't happen by training another batch of players from the ground up. That horse has left the barn. Maybe if there was a LeBron James in this draft and New York's pick was the #1. That's not the case though.

We need this kid to come through so badly it isn't even funny.

Until he makes a number of starts in games that count, he's still injured. He was cleared to throw today. Tomorrow he could be sore and not throwing again. It means nothing, and I wish the media would quit trumpeting every little thing that happens. All it does is get people's hopes up when really nothing has changed.

Yeah, Pippen was gone the following off season anyway. Trading a budding star after his second season tops them all. Chandler may be gone soon, too.... And who knows what will happen to Deng & Gordon? Shall we acquire another two lottery picks so we can move out the last batch of lottery picks? Others may enjoy being the developmental team for others' future stars. I don't. I think it's terrible. Losing a player like Brand only convinces me further that we need to turn the tables and BRING IN someone else's lottery pick who is ready to turn the corner, instead of watching our own picks turn the corner elsewhere.

When do young guys stop being young guys? The Bulls have no rookies of consequence this year. Gordon, Deng, Noch and Duhon will be third-year players next season. Hinrich will be in his fourth and Tyson in his sixth. The phrase legitimate veteran talent makes me think of Jalen Rose and cringe. Obviously you need to acquire good players, not a locker room cancer. But if you're saying because Jalen Rose is out there we shouldn't even try to add veteran production/leadership to this team, then with all due respect I'm glad Paxson has the job.

That's odd, because most people can. Then I should get my ears checked because I remember many a Hundley and Patterson AB precluded and followed by a roar of boos. A roar does not mean everybody is taking part. I was at a Hundley game when it was at its peak, and while it was a loud roar, I'd say about 1 in 5 was taking part in the booing. I never attended a home game when the Patterson booing was at its worst, but I did see a couple games in Wrigley last year when there was some mild booing before he came to the plate. The old "chorus of boos." It usually is a minority of fans. Still: why do so many get upset when a poorly performing player is booed? Fans pay their $$$$, it's not like they are throwing objects at the guy (if so, then throw them in jail). It's only a boo. Sure, sometimes it's stupid. People are generally stupid at sports events anyway. Is it that some people think booing a player hurts his chances at improving? I get booed at work---figuratively speaking. We all do. It only makes the cheers that much more sweet :)

I may have muttered something to the effect of "great, here comes another easy K" when Hundley strode to the plate, but no never booing 8) Kind of the same with Corey----but I was more positive about him because he was young, and I always rememberd that half-season in '03 when he was a damn fine player. I would be like "come on Corey, be selective this time" rather than "oh great another easy K" But never booing before a player even got to the plate. That said, I defend the fans' right to boo----even if they are being stupid and immature.